Rising Incident Data Triggers Greater Focus on Projectile Toy Safety
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that some 240,000 emergency-care injuries are caused by toys. A significant number of them involve damage to the head and face; and injuries caused by toy guns and related projectile toys are on the rise.
Projectile toys include toy guns, slingshots, bow and arrow sets, and dart guns; however, this label can apply to any toy or toy component meant to be launched into the air, either through stored energy (using mechanized discharge, like a trigger) or un-stored energy (using manual discharge, like a bow and arrow).
Within the highly regulated toy industry, projectile toys require special consideration for their hazardous potential. In addition to broader toy safety considerations like chemical makeup, durability and flammability resistance, projectile toys pose distinct safety concerns, such as:
- The physical features of the projectile pieces
- Projectile strength when fired
- Sound volume when fired
Virtually all national markets require standardized testing to measure projectile products against these particular safety concerns.
Measuring the Physical Properties of Projectile Pieces
National Standards, like the United States’ ASTM F963, the European Union’s EN 71 and Japan’s ST-2016, harmonize with the International Standard ISO 8124 over specifications addressing projectile pieces like foam darts and suction cups. Because of the constant push/pull force being applied to the ends of these projectile, the threat of a poorly made end-piece suddenly coming loose and creating a choking hazard is too serious to ignore.
Foreseeable-use durability testing on projectile ends employs various torque, tension, drop and impact tests to simulate their intended use.
As a further safeguard against choking, ASTM F963 and EN 71 have also set a minimum-permissible length for projectiles at 57mm.
Measuring Projectile Strength
The strength of a projectile, Known as Kinetic Energy Density (KED), is regulated to prevent eye injuries and additional choking hazards. All national and international standards place limits on a projectile’s toy KED, which is measured in joules.
Since different projectiles are fabricated with different types of tips, they are subject to different KED limits. EN 71 specifies that projectiles with resilient impact surfaces, like rubber, cannot exceed a kinetic energy of 0.5J. Rigid tips cannot exceed a kinetic energy of .08J.
Measuring Noise Levels
Toy testing for potentially damaging noise volumes has grown in importance since noise levels were first subject to scrutiny in workplaces across America. Concern for hazardous toy noises extends beyond cap guns, to infant items like rattles and plush toys with speakers, both of which can be easily activated very closely to children’s ears.
Projectile toys require testing for acoustic pressure if they are at all:
- Percussive — Generally related to musical toys, but can extend to the clap of a toy gun’s release mechanism which might be triggered close to the ear
- Amplified — Some toy guns use tiny speakers to mimic firing shots. Foreseeable use would include sounds emitted close to the ear during play fire
- Wind — Mouth-actuated projectile toys can emit high-pitched whistles which can cause hearing loss if too close to the ear
- Cap Fire — The most common example being cap guns
EN 71 requires compliance in three categories of sound exposure, based on sustained sound length after initiation:
- Category 1: Longer than 30 seconds after initiation
- Category 2: Between 5 and 30 seconds
- Category 3: Shorter than 5 seconds
Decibel limits are imposed based on the toy’s intended use.
A Testing Service to Ensure Safer Projectile Play
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